Residents object, predict court battle

BOULDER -- Boulder County commissioners on Monday endorsed a process for apportioning the costs of rehabilitating paved roads in 117 residential subdivisions in unincorporated parts of the county.

Commissioners Cindy Domenico, Elise Jones and Deb Gardner postponed a vote on a resolution spelling out that billing system until their staff can report back on a few remaining details. Formal action on the resolution is now tentatively scheduled for Thursday.

Officials have estimated that repairing, reconstructing and repaving deteriorating roads in nearly 120 subdivisions throughout unincorporated Boulder County could cost $72 million over the next 15 years. Under the Local Improvement District plan being pursued by the Board of County Commissioners, the county would contribute about 20 percent of the funding, $14.4 million, while owners of 11,000 properties owners would be billed the remaining $57.6 million.

The resolution sets a system for sharing and apportioning the LID costs among residential subdivision properties: 75 percent of a property's bill would be based on the average length of road per property in that property's subdivision; 25 percent would be based on the property's assessed value.

The commissioners' expected adoption of the cost-apportionment measure will come over the objections of more than 100 people who attended Monday's hearing.

The commissioners' decision will next be challenged in court, several speakers predicted.

"It may be that we may wind up in court tomorrow," Gardner said, but "we all need to move forward."

Madeline Meacham, an attorney for Boulder County Fairness in Road Maintenance, which opposes the establishment of a Subdivision Paving Local Improvement District, suggested commissioners will be imposing something that subdivision residents and property owners not only haven't had a chance to vote on, but that's similar to something they've already voted down.

A majority of subdivision voters casting ballots in the Nov. 5 election rejected the county's proposal to create a property-tax-supported Public Improvement District and issue $30 million in bonds to jump-start the rehabilitation work.

"What it is about 'no' that you do not understand?" Murl Etter, a resident of 1964 Stonehenge Drive, asked the commissioners.

Chuck Wibby, a FIRM co-chairman, challenged the county's estimate that it will cost $72 million to rehabilitate all the LID's paved residential subdivision roads. His organization has calculated that the cost would be only about $12.2 million, he said.

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